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WGU BIO 1010 INTRODUCTION TO BIOLOGY COMPLETE NOTES WESTERN GOVERNORS’ UNIVERSITY
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BIO 1010 INTRODUCTION TO BIOLOGY COMPLETE NOTES WESTERN GOVERNORS’ UNIVERSITY
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BIO 1010 INTRODUCTION TO BIOLOGYCOMPLETE NOTES WESTERN
GOVERNORS’ UNIVERSITY
, lOMoAR cPSD| 19857451
C190 Biology Notes
Unit 1 – Biology: The Science of Life
Biology – The Scientific study of life. A vast subject divided into many branches or subdivisions
representing areas of specialization. Branches include anatomy, biochemistry, ecology, evolution,
genetics, immunology, and physiology.
Considering something is alive –
- Made of materials organized in a hierarchical pattern
- Use energy and raw materials to survive.
- Sense and respond to changing environments and maintain internal stability, or
homeostasis.
- Grow, develop, and reproduce.
- Be part of a population that evolves.
Cell – Smallest fundamental unit of structure and function in life. Cells are fluid-filled spaces bound by a
membrane. First formed, all cells include DNA and other macromolecules and are organized to grow,
reproduce, and respond to changes in the external environment.
Matter – Any substance that has mass and takes up space. All mass can be classified as one of two
categories
- Biotic – Living or having lived. Must meet all conditions of being alive. Dead people, bacteria,
and wood.
- Abiotic – Nonliving and never having been alive. Viruses, water, glucose, carbon dioxide.
Hierarchy of Life -
- Top to Bottom – Biosphere, Biome, Ecosystem, Community, Population, Organism, Organ
System, Organ, Tissue, Cell, Organelles, Molecule, Atom
- Atom – Basic unit of matter that cannot be further broken down without losing its
properties. One atom consists of a dense nucleus surrounded by a cloud of electrons.
Smallest level of life.
- Molecule – Two or more atoms held together by a chemical bond.
- Macromolecule - A large and complex molecule formed by combining smaller subunits
producing a larger unit consisting of many atoms with new properties. Biological
macromolecules are special large macromolecules produced by living organisms that contain
carbon atoms covalently bonded to hydrogen atoms. There are four main types of biological
macromolecules (sometimes referred to as biomolecules or biomacromolecules) that you
will be learning about in this course: carbohydrates, nucleic acids, lipids, and proteins.
- Cell – Macromolecules are used as building blocks to form a membrane-bound sphere. First
alive thing in hierarchy. Two main types of cells, prokaryotes (small and simple) and
eukaryotes (include membrane-bound organelles)
- Organelles – A specialized structure within a cell, formed when a specific set of molecules
bond, creating a subunit that has a specific function. Some are membrane bound, others
such as flagella and ribosomes, are not.
, lOMoAR cPSD| 19857451
- Microorganisms – Single celled life forms
- Tissues – A group of similar cells carrying out the same detailed function with an organism
- Organs – A collection of tissues grouped together based on a common general function.
Heart, lungs, and kidneys. Present in plants as well
- Organ systems – A higher level of organization that consists of functionally related organs.
- Organisms – Individual living entities that survive and reproduce as a unit. Each tree in a
forest is usually an individual organism
- Population – All the individuals of the same species that occupy the same area and are likely
to breed with one another.
- Community – All of the populations interacting with each other within a specified area.
- Ecosystem – All the living (biotic) things in a particular area together with abiotic (nonliving)
materials and conditions in that area.
- Biomes – A pattern of distribution of ecosystems across the globe, where similar
environmental conditions lead to similar animal and plant adaptations.
- Biosphere – Highest level of organization in living systems. All areas on, within, and around
the planet Earth that are capable of supporting life. Includes all habitable zones.
Science – A process that helps us to understand how the natural world works.
Scientific Inquiry – The application of scientific observation, experimentation, and the scientific method
to study, interpret, and predict natural phenomena in the world around us.
Scientific Method –
- Forming a Hypothesis
- Testing a Hypothesis
- Experiment
- Experimental Variables
- Gathering Data
- Interpreting Results
Unit 2 – Basic Chemistry and Biological Macromolecules
Atoms – Parts and structure
- Protons – Have a positive charge. Located in the nucleus of an atom. Mass is 1.0
- Neutrons – Are electrically neutral, neither positive nor negatively charged. Located in a
nucleus of an atom. Mass is 1.0. Same number as protons as neutrons
- Electrons – Have a negative charge. Orbit outside nucleus in shells. Mass is negligible.
Elements –
- Atoms with six protons in the nucleus are carbon atoms
- Atoms with seven protons in the nucleus are nitrogen atoms
- Atomic number is equal to the number of atoms it has
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